.

then he was very good against O'Connell, capitaland all this agitation going on-and murder, and so forth and then, sir, he told a capital story, about a man and his wife being murdered; and putting a child in a fireplace-you see I forget now, but it was capital: and then he wound up with-a-with -a-in his usual way, in short, oh! he quite justified himself you understand-in short, you see, he could not do otherwise."

Caricatured as this may seem, I assure you that it is to the life: the explainer, too, is reckoned a very sensible man; and the listener saw nothing inclusive in the elucidation.-England and the English. Bulwer.

MR. THOMAS HILL.

Mr. Hill died a year or two ago-aged, we believe, not more than eighty-three, though Hook and all his friends affected to consider him as quite a Methusalah. James Smith said once, that it was impossible to discover his age, for the parish register had been burned in the fire of London-but Hook capped this: "Pooh, pooh! he's one of the Little Hills that are spoken of as skipping in the Psalms." As a mere octogenarian he was wonderful enough, no human being would, from his appearance, gait, or habits, have guessed him to be sixty. Till within three months of his death he rose at five usually, and brought the materials of his breakfast home with him to the Adelphi, from a walk to Billingsgate; and at dinner he would eat and drink like an adjutant of

five-and-twenty. One secret was, that a banyan day uniformly followed a festivity. He then nursed himself most carefully on tea and dry toast, tasted neither meat nor wine, and went to bed by eight o'clock. But perhaps the grand secret was, the easy, imperturbable serenity of his temper. He had been kind and generous in the day of his wealth, and although his evening was comparatively poor, his cheerful heart kept its even beat.-Quarterly Review.

TITLES OF BOOKS.

There is a kind of physiognomy in the titles of books no less than in the faces of men, by which a skillful observer will as well know what to expect from the one as the other.Butler.

THE PLEASURES OF LONDON.

Streets, streets, streets, markets, theatres, churches, Covent Gardens; shops sparkling with pretty faces of industrious milliners; neat seamstresses; ladies cheapening; gentlemen behind counters lying; authors in the streets with spectacles, (you may know them by their gait;) lamps lighted at night; pastrycook and silversmiths' shops; beautiful quakers of Pentonville; noise of coaches; drowsy cry of mechanic watchmen by night, with bucks reeling home drunk; if you happen to wake at midnight, cries of fire and stop thief; Inns of Court, with their learned air, and stalls and butteries just like Cambridge colleges; old book

stalls, "Jeremy Taylors," "Burtons on Melancholy," and "Religio Medicis," on every stall. These are thy pleasures, O London!-Lamb.

GENTLEMAN'S MAGAZINE.

That great lumber-room wherein small ware of all kinds has been laid up higgledy-piggledy, by halfpennyworths or farthingworths at a time, for fourscore years, till, like broken glass, rags, or rubbish, it has acquired value by mere accumulation.-The Doctor.

ALEXANDER HAMILTON.

The discerning eye of Washington immediately called him to that post which was infinitely the most important in the administration of the new system. Hamilton was made secretary of the treasury; and how he fulfilled the duties of such a place, at such a time, the whole country saw with admiration. He smote the rock of the national resources, and the abundant stream of revenue gushed forth. He touched the dead corpse of the public credit, and it sprang upon its feet.-Daniel Webster.

GEORGE SELWYN'S BON-MOTS.

We shall here quote some of the best of Selwyn's witticisms and pleasantries, and prefer rather throwing them all together, than to scatter them here and there about the book; as it enables us to see better at a glance the character and style of Selwyn's wit.

When a subscription was proposed for Fox, and some one was observing that it required some delicacy, and wondering how Fox would take it. "Take it? why, quarterly to be sure."

When one of the Foley family crossed the Channel to avoid his creditors-"It is a passover that will not be much relished by the Jews."

When Fox was boasting of having prevailed on the French court to give up the gum trade-"As you have permitted the French to draw your teeth, they would be fools, indeed, to quarrel with you about your gums."

At the trial of the rebel lords, seeing Bethel's sharp visage looking wistfully at the prisoners, he said: "What a shame it is to turn her face to the prisoners until they are condemned.”

Some women were scolding Selwyn for going to see the execution, and asked him how he could be such a barbarian to see the head cut off? "Nay," replied he, "if that was such a crime, I am sure I have made amends; for I went to see it sewed on again."

One night at White's, observing the Postmastergeneral, Sir Everard Fawkener, losing a large sum of money at piquet, pointing to the successful player, he remarked-"See how he's robbing the mail!"

On another occasion, in 1756, observing Mr. Ponsonby, the Speaker of the Irish House of Commons, tossing about bank-bills at a hazard-table at New

market-"Look how easily the Speaker passes the money-bills."

The beautiful Lady Coventry was exhibiting to him a splendid new dress, covered with large silver spangles the size of a shilling, and inquired of him whether he admired her taste-"Why," said he, "you will be change for a guinea."

At the sale of the effects of the minister, Mr. Pelham, Selwyn, pointing to a silver dinner-service, observed-"Lord, how many toads have been eaten off those plates!"

A namesake of Charles Fox having been hung at Tyburn, Fox inquired of Selwyn whether he had attended the execution-"No, I make a point of never frequenting rehearsals."

A fellow-passenger in a coach, imagining from his appearance that he was suffering from illness, kept wearying him with good-natured inquiries as to the state of his health. At length to the repeated question of "How are you now, sir?" Selwyn replied— "Very well, I thank you; and I mean to continue so for the rest of the journey."

He was one day walking with Lord Pembroke, when they were besieged by a number of young chimney-sweepers, who kept plaguing them for money; at length Selwyn made them a low bow"I have often," he said, "heard of the sovereignty of the people; I suppose your highnesses are in court mourning."-Edinburgh Review.